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Results and Discussion <br />Distribution and Abundance <br />River-wide catch rates were fairly high in all four rivers during 1994 compared with most years <br />of ISMP data (Figures 9, 10, 11, 12; Table B-1). Mean CPE declined slightly in the Yampa River, <br />but river-wide catch rates were higher than 1993 in the Green, Colorado, and White rivers. In <br />general, riverwide catch rates in all four rivers have been relatively consistent over the last few years. <br />Catch rates are higher than early in ISMP. The sustained high catch rates in all four rivers suggest <br />more subadult and adult Colorado squawfish in the upper basin than when the monitoring program <br />began. <br />Size Distribution <br />The size distribution in the Green and Colorado rivers continues to reflect a large group of fish <br />that were produced in 1986 or 1987 (Figure 13; Table B-2, B-3). Many of these fish have reached <br />adult size. Using 5-cm length groups, the highest percentage of fish collected in the Green and <br />Colorado rivers were between 45 and 50 cm long (compared with 35 to 40 cm in 1993). The median <br />length of all fish collected from both rivers has been steadily increasing as the cohort mentioned <br />above has been growing in length and preparing to enter the adult population (Figures B-1, B-2). <br />Size distributions of Colorado squawfish from both rivers also indicate a substantial number of <br />smaller fish as well. Some of these smaller fish (± 300 mm) have been captured in the upper Green <br />River (reaches 2 and 3) in recent years. <br />Most fish collected from the Yampa and White rivers are adults, but both rivers also contain a <br />high percentage of subadult and young adult-size fish. Size distributions and median length of fish <br />collected from these two rivers have been relatively constant since ISMP began (Figures B-3, B-4). <br />This constant size distribution suggests slow, but regular recruitment into the adult populations of the <br />two rivers and the entire upper basin. <br />Sym atp ric Species <br />Native Species-Razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus was only collected from Reach 2 in the <br />Green River (Table B~). Five individuals were captured there, compared with two individuals in <br />1992 and three in 1991 and 1993. Twelve or more razorbacks were collected from the Green River <br />during ISMP sampling from 1986-1990 (McAda et al. 1994a). One humpback chub was collected <br />from the Green River and another was collected from the Colorado River. It is important to note that <br />these species are collected incidentally to sampling for Colorado squawfish. This portion of ISMP is <br />not designed as population monitoring for either of these two species. <br />Introduced Species-Northern pike Esox Lucius continued to be observed in relatively high <br />numbers in the Yampa and upper Green Rivers (Table B-4). A total of 39 northern pike were <br />observed in the upper Green and 49 were observed in the Yampa River. These numbers compare <br />with 23 in the Green and 29 in the Yampa during 1993. Seventeen smallmouth bass Micropterus <br />dolomieui were collected from the Green River and 20 were collected from the Yampa River (Table <br />B-4). One smallmouth and three largemouth bass were caught in the Colorado River. <br />11 <br />